Workforce Connect

Home Workforce Connect

During the Workforce Connect conference, there were roundtable discussions focused on sharing best practices for Employee Retention and Attraction. We’ve shared key highlights below:

Can you share any best practices for successful talent attraction?

  • Ensure you are authentically communicating your company brand  
  • Be mindful of your reputation among your employees (current and former). For example: What are employees saying on Glassdoor or Indeed? 
  • Cultivate a positive culture to influence reputation 
  • Utilize job boards such as www.workinsimcoecounty.ca and Employment Ontario resources  
  • Utilize paid posts through Indeed, Facebook and Instagram for recruiting 
  • Streamline education with job requirements by working with educational institutions and employers to match skills 
  • Provide job postings that clearly outline the job requirements and duties while also stating the salary. This helps job seekers to determine if they truly want to apply to the job. 
  • In job postings, communicate perks/add-ons available to employees and the organizations values  
  • Provide opportunities for job seekers to network with your organization so that they can learn more about your organization and career pathways.  
  • Be open to discussing job postings. 
  • Offer timely and clear communications with candidates during the interview process 
  • Create easy to complete job applications to accommodate those who are not tech savvy. 
  • Utilize employee referrals as one option to recruit employees however a diverse approach is recommended to expand reach  

Can you share any best practices for successful talent retention? 

  • Recognize value in soft skills and don’t hire solely for education or experience 
  • Leadership training (i.e. do your managers have the skills to coach and lead your workforce?) 
  • Consistent feedback from a place of encouraging growth as well as providing opportunities for advancement 
  • Employers must offer flexibility, work-life balance and work from home options 
  • Employers must make their employees feel valued 
  • Weekly team calls and occasional get togethers (pie party example) 
  • Unlimited holidays and/or sick days can cultivate trust in employees and build a positive culture – most people only take 2 weeks anyway  
  • 4-day work weeks 
  • Offer a robust onboarding process, so that staff are clear about their role and who to reach out to for assistance. 
  • “Stay Interviews” where new staff are asked for feedback regarding their experience, their needs (i.e. additional training), and where performance support is provided. Some workplaces schedule these meetings at 30 days and 60 days after hire. 
  • Offer praise – speak to individuals about whether public or private praise is their preference for those who are not comfortable with public praise. 
  • Value new hires for their perspective re: what needs to change in an organization. Their fresh eyes can see areas for innovation. 
  • Provide LOTS of opportunity to meet the team (virtually or in person) 
  • Frequent check-ins to ensure that staff feel supported 

How will emerging technologies like AI impact our labour markets? 

  • Companies who embrace emerging technologies will likely see more growth due to an increase in innovation and agility, ability to attract younger talent 
  • There are so many technology options available, it’s important to collaborate within industries to help find what technologies are most beneficial 
  • Emerging technologies will change the skill sets of the employees that we hire  
  • Emerging technologies allow employers to use human capital in more effective ways 

Help Us Serve You Better

We are collecting data to better understand who is looking for work and what kind of opportunities jobseekers are searching for. This data is completely anonymous and non-personally identifiable.

Your Age: